Growing student population strains Cabarrus County elementary school

CABARRUS COUNTY, N.C. — A sea of students filled the cafeteria of W.R. Odell Elementary in Concord, and every year more students flood in.

An empty hallway, classroom or empty seat is impossible to find inside the building, and outside, you’ll find even more classrooms in mobile units and an annex.

The school currently serves 1,082 students in third through fifth grade. That’s 200 more than it was originally designed to hold.

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“We were running out of classrooms,” Lisa Ober, principal at W.R. Odell Elementary, said. “We have seven classes out here this year.”

Without additional mobile units, the school would be more than 20% over-capacity, but change and relief are coming. Earlier this month, the board of education approved a limited enrollment cap for Odell Elementary and Primary. It will remain in place until a new elementary school opens in the northwest part of the county. That school is projected to open in 2028.

Superintendent John Kopicki says it is a temporary change that will lead to a permanent solution.

“What I would emphasize to our parents, our community, is it’s a short-term problem,” he said. “Your student is going to be walking into a brand new, world-class facility in two years, so that’s the benefit.”

It’s not just Odell that’s seeing this growth. More than 35,000 students are now enrolled at Cabarrus County Schools — an 8% increase in five years.

Long-term district plans include building three new high schools, two new elementary schools and millions of dollars in renovations.

Chief of School Performance John Bowers says it’s all necessary to keep standards high.

“We’ve got a wonderful plan set in place for students for the next 10 to 15 years, such that we can absorb and we can certainly accommodate this growth we’ve experienced,” he said.

Beginning April 1, any new first through fifth graders who live north of Highway 73 within the Odell attendance area and enroll for the 2026-2027 school year or later will be assigned to Carl A. Furr Elementary. Kindergarteners will remain at their assigned home school.

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